The First TubaChristmas

[Travelman]

Anyone out there go to the original TubaChristmas? What was it like? Where was it held (NYC)? How many tuba players showed up? Share your stories!

[Art Hovey]

I was at the first one in NY, at Rockefeller Center. I was putting my five bucks down at the registration table when Harvey walked up and stuffed it back into my pocket. We hadn't seen each other for nine years, but he remembered me. (He knew my father well from their days in Bill Bell's studio.) Rehearsing was a nightmare because they put us in a long, narrow, stone-lined hallway. Couldn't see the conductor, couldn't hear anything but massive reverberation. Then we had to walk single file upstairs, downstairs, through a restaurant and out onto the ice, carrying tubas. I had my black helicon and a stool which I was planning to sit on, but I ended up standing on it just to see over the bells in front of me. The Alec Wilder books were new and very small and difficult to read, so a lot of us just played melody. I think there were close to 300 of us that day. There was a picture of us on the front page of the NY Times the next morning; you can see my horn if you know where to look.

[nycbone]

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[TubaRay]

At first I thought this was going to be a song:

"The First Tuba Christmas the angel did say...."

[Uncle Markie]

To add to Art Hovey's recollection -

Harvey got Paul Lavalle (later one of my employers) to conduct the first TubaChristmas at Rockefeller Center. We performed in front of Prometheus and the big Christmas tree.

Art's right, we rehearsed in a staircase under the RCA building, and when we finished the first tune - Adeste Fidelis I think - the building's stairwell echoed and rumbled for quite a while - which set up a huge cheer from the assembled musicians.

Amazingly, neither Harvey or Lavalle slipped and fell on the rink - from where the performance was conducted.

Also - Alec Wilder showed up hear us.

I believe Fred Sautter did those original arrangements, too.

Harvey wouldn't take my five bucks either!

Mark Heter

[Bowerybum]

My recollections of that first Tuba Christmas pretty much reflect those of Mr. Hovey and Mr. Heter,
except that it did cost me the $5.00 which I happily coughed up. I remember the rehearsal mostly.
It was loud! For a 23 year old tuba player from Detroit, fresh in New York for only 2 years, it was a
big deal. I still have the music from that first TC. Nobody was more gung-ho tuba than me. Good
memories all around. Thanks fro asking. Regards, Eric Hult